Why did Abhishek Bachchan and Karisma Kapoor call off their engagement?

Abhishek Bachchan and Karisma Kapoor were nothing less than Bollywood royalty, and when their engagement was announced on Amitabh Bachchan’s 60th birthday, the nation could not keep calm.

The Bachchans and Kapoors were already related by marriage; Raj Kapoor’s grandson Nikhil Nanda is married to Amitabh Bachchan’s daughter Shweta Bachchan. In fact, it was at their wedding in 1997 that sparks flew between Abhishek and Karisma, and soon, they got into a relationship. The two were smitten with each other and after five years of being together, they decided to take their relationship to the next level.

Their engagement was announced with much fanfare and at the time, Karisma had said, “It feels wonderful to be a part of this family.” However, this “wonderful” feeling did not last very long after that, and Abhishek and Karisma’s engagement was called off, a few months later.

Neither family chose to divulge the reason behind the couple parting ways, and a whole bunch of rumours began doing the rounds. According to a report in Cosmopolitan, it was Karisma’s mother Babita who drove a wedge in their relationship.

It is no secret that Babita single-handedly raised her daughters, Karisma and Kareena, after her separation from Randhir Kapoor. She knew the value of money and wanted to ensure that her daughters never felt the lack of it in their lives.

When Abhishek and Karisma were in a relationship, she was already an established actress, while he was still in the process of making a name for himself. Not just this, the Bachchans were going through a rough patch, financially, courtesy a failed production house and rising debts.

Apparently, Babita was not too confident about Abhishek’s acting abilities and demanded a pre-nuptial agreement, according to which Amitabh would transfer a portion of his wealth in his son’s name, so that Karisma would be financially secure. The Bachchans refused to comply, which resulted in Abhishek and Karisma’s break-up.

Other reasons doing the rounds were Karisma being asked to bid adieu to her acting career and Jaya Bachchan keeping control over her son Abhishek’s life.

Till date, Abhishek and Karisma’s break-up is a mystery that remains unsolved. But it looks like they have put their break-up behind them. The former couple came under the same roof recently, at Mohit Marwah’s wedding celebrations at the Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah in Abu Dhabi. However, there was no awkwardness, and Karisma even posed with Shweta Bachchan in a group photo taken at the wedding.